The Lurch Project A word processor that checks your math Past, Present, and Future Nathan Carter Bentley University
Category: Software for Experiencing Rules • Not computational Maple does math for you. Lurch checks your work. • Not a homework-grading system WeBWorK checks answers when you submit. Lurch checks steps as you work. • Not a “proof assistant” Coq helps automate the proving process. Lurch is a learning tool.
Removing the Disadvantages Lurch is a platform that will make it easy for instructors and students to build and use a variety of mathematical experiences all under one hood.
Implementation Overview The Web Lurch • OpenMath: A markup • HTML: A markup language for describing language for describing mathematics with documents with rich unambiguous semantics content + + • Javascript: Scripting • Javascript: Scripting language that makes Lurch language that makes HTML able to validate OpenMath pages interactive documents
Lurch in 2008
Student Responses • “It helped me learn how to do proofs through trial and error.” • “...I liked using Lurch because I was able to see what was needed for rules to work.” • “It told me if I was right or wrong” • “It was also easier to move lines around than erasing everything on paper.”
Student Responses 4.6 • I used Lurch for experimentation; I tinkered to learn the results of various actions. 4.2 • The constant feedback Lurch provides about my work is valuable. 4.2 • It was helpful that proofs in Lurch looked just like proofs in our textbook. Scale: 1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree
Student Responses • It is possible to do a proof in Lurch by 3.2 experimental clicking and typing, without thinking. Scale: 1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree
Word Processing
Lurch in 2009
Progress to 2009 • Lurch came with many built-in math topics, not just the two you’ve seen. • Most involved interactively editing a document in word-processing style. • But each was built by a programmer. • So the disadvantage of uncustomizability remained. Each instructor who might want to use Lurch had to use the exact same notation, rules, etc.
Lurch in 2010
Lurch in 2010
Lurch in 2010
Lurch in 2010
Lurch in 2010
Progress to 2010 • New equation-based topics can be created by an instructor without any programming required. • Even new notations (such as the boolean algebra example) can be created from scratch, with custom typesetting and user input. • Customizability is not yet ready for non- equation-based topics.
Plans for 2011 • The user interface is not smooth and requires an overhaul; we will dedicate the beginning of 2011 to that project. • We aim to increase our development and testing team. Are you interested? • Both authors have sabbaticals for the 2011-2012 academic year, and can visit your institution to bring you on board!
Goal
Get Involved • Download Lurch, try it, • Do development: and send feedback. Either write and share math topics or help • Join our email list. write Lurch itself. • Give some assignments • Supervise student that use Lurch, and send developers: us students’ feedback. We have supervised 9 math and/or CS undergrads so far, 4 of them remotely.
Lurch Website http://lurch.sourceforge.net (or just Google “lurch math”) • Download Lurch (free, open source) • Join the email list • Contact us by email • Learn how to become a developer
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